460 S&W Magnum

The only reloading manual I have in VA is the Nosler #6 and it does not list the .460.

I picked up a pound of IMR4227 to go along with my Hornady 200 gr LEVERevolution bullets. These were the most inexpensive bullets at were in stock when I placed my order. Figure they will do well for sighting in the scope & maybe a southern white-tail over Christmas (if I am lucky).

I think I screwed up on the powder - the Hodgdon website calls for a starting load of 41.0 grs of Hodgdon H4227, not IMR4227, for the 200 gr Barnes XPB. Any recommendations on starting load with the IMR4227? I don't know what the differences are between the two powders.

In the Nosler #6, IMR4227 is recommended for the .454 Casull, but that is with 250+ gr bullets. The H4227 loads are 1.5 grs less than the IMR4227 loads.

Do you think it would be safe to drop the recommended load of 41.0 grs of H4227 for the 460 down to 38.5 grs IMR4227 as a starting load?

Try here:

http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Hodgdon...c%20Manual.pdf

I don't see any IMR4227 listed either.

Maybe email or call IMR (Hodgdon)??

Cant help you with your powder but..

I had a S+W 460 and reloaded everything in 460 caliber.
460 ammo is expensive.

Bought some casull and 45 long rount factory rounds.

I cant find my load book with that info right now but
I loaded the 200 gr barnes bullets and some XTP 185 gr plinkers.

Pretty sure I loaded everything with lil gun, but I would have to check.

My dad is 88 yo.

I took him out one day and worked up to full 460 loads and I thought he was going to fall over laughing.
I had a 4" barrel and about 24" of fire out the end of the barrel and shock wave was impressive.

It was an overkill for what I was doing and too heavy for me, so I sold mine and bought a lightweight 44 magnum and believe it or not the 44 magnum has a nastier recoil. That said I never shot heavy bullets out of the 460.

Looking on the hodgdon site for 200 gr barnes and h4227 I find 41 to start, 45C max.

If I run it through quickload at 45 gr C I am showing 112% compression, less velocity at 2035 (8" bbl) than the hodgdon site and 44k so its close pressure wise.
The hodgdon site lists that load at 42k but 2238 fps. Maybe they were using a 16" barrel, who knows.

If I run IMR 4227 at 45 gr I am showing 110% compression, 2035 and 46.6K.

Just guessing I would say a starting load of 41 gr would probably be okay and work up, but you might want to watch it close when you go past 43.

Either that or just be safe and buy the recommended powder.

I went though that too as I did not want to buy new powder and already had 2# of lilgun, but there were no loads listed for it at the time, so I had to wing it. I was nervous dealing with a pistol running those sort of pressures.

Burn rate wise from fastest it goes lilgun, H110, Win 296, IMR 4227, H4227, so they are next to each other with IMR 4227 being a tad faster.

Here are a few loads but not with IMR4227.

http://www.reloadammo.com/460sw.htm
http://www.gunblast.com/SW460XVR.htm

http://www.handloads.org/loaddata/default.asp?
Caliber=460+SqqqW+Magnum&Weight=All&type=Handgun&O rder=Powder&Source=

I did read a blurb where the old H4227 was repackaged as IMR 4227 whatever that means.

Buck460xvr on the S+W forum is talking about loading the 460 with IMR 4227, so maybe you could contact him.
He sez it is excellent.

Down the page a bit...

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloadi...y-powders.html